Kiev ablaze after reported overnight missile and drone barrage (VIDEOS)
The first strikes were reported shortly after midnight, with Mayor Vitaly Klitschko urging residents to seek shelter as the capital's air defenses engaged incoming targets. Officials confirmed that by 4am, several mostly non-residential facilities in multiple districts had been hit in successive waves.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities, but Klitschko said at least 14 people were injured after falling debris from intercepted missiles and drones triggered fires in residential areas and private yards.
🇷🇺🇺🇦 Kiev's Zhuliany International Airport is reportedly on fire following multiple ballistic missile and drone strikes this evening.US-supplied Patroit and other air defense batteries has been known to be stationed at the airport.Footage was recorded from coordinates:… pic.twitter.com/UoszbukZIN
Multiple blurred-out videos shared on Ukrainian social media appear to show the aftermath of the strikes, with numerous fires lighting up the skyline of Kiev.
Officials confirmed at least 13 impacts in different parts of the capital.
🇷🇺 Russia is ROCKING Kiev tonight. At least 10 explosions in one minute (video). pic.twitter.com/Moq4C36pwR
The exact locations and types of facilities hit are difficult to verify, as the Ukrainian authorities heavily censor the flow of information and punish those who share footage of the impacts – unless a civilian facility is affected.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet issued a statement on the incident. Moscow regularly conducts drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure, maintaining that its operations do not target civilians and accusing Kiev of placing air defense systems in densely populated areas.
The reported strikes came just hours after President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his US counterpart, during which Donald Trump reportedly urged Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine as soon as possible. Putin reaffirmed Moscow's openness to a negotiated solution, but reportedly stated that Russia would not back down until the 'well-known root causes' of the conflict are addressed.
Despite several rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul in recent months, Kiev has continued long-range attacks on Russian territory, including nightly drone raids. On Friday Morning, a woman was killed when a drone crashed into an apartment building in Rostov Region. On Tuesday, a Ukrainian drone strike caused multiple fatalities and serious injuries at an industrial plant in the city of Izhevsk around 1,000km (620 miles) east of Moscow. On Monday, a woman was killed and three others injured in a missile strike on the Donetsk People's Republic.
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